Michael von Reutern
Pyotr Aleksandrovich Valuyev | |
---|---|
Succeeded by | Nikolai von Bunge |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael von Reutern 24 September [O.S. 12 September] 1820 Porechye, Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire |
Died | 23 August [O.S. 11 August] 1890 (aged 69) Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
Resting place | Groß-Essern Manor, Courland Governorate (in present-day Ezere , Latvia) |
Michael Graf
Life
Reutern was born on 24 September [
Reutern graduated from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum in 1837. He started his career as a civil servant in the ministry of finance in 1840; he was transferred to the Ministry of Justice in 1843, where he remained until 1854. In 1862, he was appointed finance minister under the liberal reformist tsar, Alexander II, and introduced a system of public accounting. Reutern's period in office was also marked by the promotion of private credit institutions and attempts to stabilise the ruble. He succeeded in reforming taxation and customs laws, by abolishing the spirits lease and the introduction of an excise tax on brandy. Government revenues rose significantly, the chronic budget deficit was removed in 1867, and budgetary surpluses were achieved from 1873. On trade policy, Reutern pragmatically supported reducing some tariffs and duties on manufacturing goods in 1863 and 1868.
The Russo-Turkish War reversed some of the measures that had led to Reutern's successes, and he resigned in 1878.
References
- ISBN 978-0-543-98710-5. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
- ^ Arthur Raffalovich, "Russian Financial Policy (1862-1914)" Economic Journal (1916) 26#104 pp. 528-532 Online
Sources
- Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906. .